Aconcagua Provincial Park, Puente del Inca & High Andes (Alta Montaña) Guide

Climbing 185 kilometres west of Mendoza city along Ruta Nacional 7 through the dramatic canyon of the Río Mendoza, the Alta Montaña (High Andes) route takes you in less than three hours from sunny 750-metre vineyards to the base of Cerro Aconcagua (6,960.8 metres / 22,837 feet), the highest peak in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres and the highest mountain on Earth outside Asia's Himalayas.

1. Parque Provincial Aconcagua: The Horcones Lagoon Walk & Confluencia Trek

Established in 1983 to protect 71,000 hectares of high-altitude glaciers, condor habitats, and Andean peaks right before the Chilean border, Parque Provincial Aconcagua welcomes both casual day-trippers and expedition mountaineers:

• The Laguna de los Horcones & Quebrada del Durazno Trail (1.5 to 2 Hours, Easy): Starting from the Horcones Visitor Centre at 2,950 metres just off Ruta 7, a well-marked, gently graded loop path winds past the emerald glacial waters of Laguna de los Horcones and across the suspension bridge used by summit expeditions. On a clear morning, the colossal glaciated wall of Aconcagua's 6,960.8-metre South Face reflects directly in the lagoon.
• Full-Day Trek to Confluencia Camp (3,390m, November to March): During the official trekking and climbing season (typically 15 November to 31 March), hikers with a day-trekking permit can continue three to four hours up the Horcones valley to the first expedition base camp at Confluencia (3,390m); check the official Mendoza Areas Naturales portal for current seasonal registration and permit rules.

2. Puente del Inca (2,720m, UNESCO Qhapaq Ñan Site) & Cristo Redentor (3,832m)

• Puente del Inca (Inscribed by UNESCO in 2014): Just three kilometres east of the Aconcagua park entrance at 2,720 metres, a natural geological bridge 47 metres long and 28 metres wide spans the roaring Río Las Cuevas 27 metres above the water. Formed by glacial action and continuously cemented by mineral-rich thermal springs heavy in iron, sulphur, and calcium bicarbonate that stain the rock in brilliant bands of ochre, gold, and rust, the bridge was revered by the Incas along the Qhapaq Ñan royal road. Tucked directly beneath the arch stand the surreal, mineral-encrusted brick ruins of the luxury 1925 Hotel Puente del Inca thermal baths, destroyed by an avalanche in 1965 (leaving only the small colonial chapel intact).
• Monumento al Cristo Redentor de los Andes (3,832m, Summer Only): Above the stone border village of Las Cuevas, the old gravel mountain switchback climbs to the 3,832-metre Bermejo Pass on the Argentine-Chilean line, where sculptor Mateo Alonso's seven-metre bronze Cristo Redentor was unveiled on 13 March 1904 to seal peace between Argentina and Chile (typically open from January to early April when snow-free).